[This post has been written over the course of a week or more.. so excuse the inconsistencies/ramblings/brain fog etc...]
This academic year, there has been a frustrating response to LST Intranet posts concerning St George’s Day and Remembrance Day. The comments have been anonymous, which is frustrating, but whoever it is seems to think that these two days in the English calendar are pro-war, pro-invasion, pro-violence. Which seems a bit crazy. I can kind of understand it for Remembrance day, but it is in no way endorsing war.
With the risk of sounding rather like my father here, but I was brought up with the rule ‘when in Rome, do as the Roman’s do…’ rule. It makes sense, follow the countries laws, don’t impinge your views on another culture etc etc. So why is it that in our now multi-cultural Britain, there remains very little of Great Britain left to celebrate. As the previous paragraph mentioned, immigrants seem to have such a strong view on our British culture that it’s now diluted. It frustrates me immensely.
Land of Hope and Glory [I can't quite remember why I wrote this, but something made sense in my head at the time, I'm sure... I'm thinking of the hymn... being all British and that.]
I doubt you would have escaped the forthcoming election and all that comes with it… or if you have, you live in more of a bubble than I do!
Of late there has also been controversy over the 2010 Westminster Declaration. I have yet still to make up my mind on the matter, along with my friends David and Phil, there seem to be much that isn’t said, leaving too many gray areas?
The last three weeks we’ve had the leadership debates. I wasn’t able to watch the first or the last, but from what I did see and have caught up with, they have really helped me to understand some of the party policies and compare them.
Here’s Steve Chalke interviewing the three party leaders;
At LST this week, we also had a debate with some of our lecturers; Anna Robbins, Tony Lane, Robert Willoughby and Simon Steer. It was interesting to discuss politics within the Christian community, what impact we have and how vital it is that we vote.
On which note, I am not registered in Northwood, as I only returned to LST in February and they sorted it out in the Autumn. So I decided that I’d go for a postal vote at home, as I’m definitely on the Electoral Role at home. Both constituencies have previously been very strong Conservative seats, but my vote still counts, right? I sent off my form, having downloaded it from Rushcliffe website, where there was no mention of a deadline for applying for a postal vote, in fact, on the form it said I could register for a postal vote at any time. Yet today I received a letter from Rushcliffe telling me I cannot vote, as my application for a postal vote was received after the registration deadline of 5pm 20th April. Again, I say, they didn’t have a deadline on the website or the form… AND they write to me now saying there’s no time… well, there clearly is, because if they’d just sent me the darn postal vote instead of that letter, it would have been in the post this evening. They did however say I could vote by proxy, but, get this, the deadline for registering for that is 5pm Tuesday 27th April… it’s gone.
I debated with the idea of driving home and back to LST next Thursday in order to vote, but, I don’t want to be missing more lectures and I have a rehearsal in the evening and it’d be 240 miles round trip and well, fuel isn’t exactly cheap these days…
To put it lightly, I’m gutted that my voice won’t be heard. I just hope and pray that enough other people’s will be to make a difference to our country!
And, I am worried that a very friendship my be in trouble because of my inability to vote.
As I said, I apologise for my distinct lack of coherence and clarity of thought in this post… My girly blonde brain just can’t cope 
I’m now one week, or one piece of work behind in the plan.
But I only managed about 15 minutes before feeling rubbish. Mum said I looked really ill once I’d put it away… 
